1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head and a method of manufacturing the same, and more specifically, it relates to a golf club head which can provide high durability and an excellent feel on striking the ball (the feeling on impact with the ball), and a method of manufacturing the same.
This application is based on Patent Application No. 2000-32602, filed in Japan, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, golf club heads using face members made by pressing a xcex2 type titanium alloy which has been subjected to solution heat treatment have been known.
However, in such prior art golf club heads, in terms of the material properties, the face portion has elasticity, but does not have sufficient strength, which is somewhat disadvantageous from the viewpoint of durability.
Further, golf club heads provided with face members which are made by cold pressing a cold rolled xcex2 type titanium alloy which has not been subjected to solution heat treatment are also known. Compared to the above-mentioned golf club heads which are provided with face members which have been subjected to solution heat treatment, the face portions of these golf club heads have higher strength, but since they are not solution heat treated, there is a large amount of residual stress in the interior of the metal, and because their elasticity is also small, there are the disadvantages that the face portion is easily cracked, the feel on striking the ball is stiff, and a good feel on striking the ball cannot be obtained.
The present invention was made in order to overcome these disadvantages, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club head with increased strength and at the same time, improved durability, and which can further provide a good feel on striking the ball.
In order to achieve the above goals, the present invention employs a method wherein parts formed into a predetermined shape by hot pressing a cold rolled xcex2 type titanium alloy which has not been subjected to solution heat treatment are used for at least the face member. As a result of using this method, it is possible to obtain approximately the same degree of strength as for a golf club head made of a cold pressed xcex2 type titanium alloy which has not been subjected to solution heat treatment, with a surface which does not easily crack, with greatly improved durability, and which also has a mild feel on striking the ball.
According to the present invention, the durability, of the face member is increased, and therefore, it becomes possible to make the face member thinner. When making the face member thinner, the remaining weight can be placed around the periphery or on the sole of the head, and the head can be designed so that the moment of inertia can be increased, and/or the center of gravity can be made lower and/or deeper, and as a result of these effects, further increases in the flight distance and the directional stability can be expected.